


Light of My Lantern

by Geonn



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-04
Updated: 2010-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-09 07:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helen is captured by a former Cabal operative and receives help from an unexpected source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Light of My Lantern

The bonds were the first thing Helen noticed as she drifted back to consciousness. She balled her hands into fists and tensed her muscles slightly. The ropes are tied around her forearms and wrists, wrapped around the back and leg of the wooden chair. She moved her arms slightly and something bit into the flesh of her wrist. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and relaxed; wire wrapped around the ropes. A bit overkill.

When no one responds to the noise she made, she opened her eyes and looked around her prison. Her head is foggy and the room seemed to be tilted at a thirty degree angle. She closed one eye, trying to focus on the horizontal, but it was no use. She closed her eyes as the throbbing at the base of her skull took over the rest of her head. Her mind was scattered, and she forced herself to focus.

She started easy. She pictured her office, the fireplace across from her desk and the books scattered in front of her. The sky outside the window is twilight. The memory steadied her, and she focused on more details. The phone call. She saw herself taking her gun from the drawer and tucking it into the back of her belt as she stood and walked from the room with purpose.

_The flickering lights tell her that Henry is still running his diagnostic, and she knows that Will and Kate are downstairs tending to their newest arrival. She doesn't mind; she has assembled an excellent team, any one of which - Kate included - would be fantastic back-up. But none of them compare to the joy she once felt when she got a call and headed out with Ashley. She fought back a wave of melancholy and tells the big guy to bring the van around._

He parks near the water and looks at her. "I should go with you."

"No need for that," she tells him. He doesn't bother fighting; he knows he won't win. "Just a quick look around. Besides, I'll have protection." She brandishes her gun and smiles encouragingly at the big guy before she climbs from the van. There's a fog rolling in off the water and the lights overhead glow like auras in the haze. The fog enhances each sound, and she hears water lapping against the pilings under her feet as she walks down the dock to the ship.

Helen opened her eyes and looked around her prison. Definitely a room on a ship; the shape of the door, the curve of the wall. She was gratified to discover that the swaying she felt wasn't entirely in her head. She struggled to remember what happened next, but her reverie was disturbed by footsteps on the stairs coming down toward her cell. She tensed her arms against the restraints, but the wire cut against her again and she was forced to relax.

The man wore a charcoal gray turtleneck and black cargo pants. His hair was black, cut short, and he looked up in surprise when he saw Helen was awake. The bridge of his nose was bandaged and both eyes were black. He walked past her without a word and, when he returned, he said, "Long trip ahead of us. You might want to just drift off again."

"And miss all the fun?" she said.

"You'll be awake for the fun parts," he said. "Trust me."

She was aware that her vision seemed wrong. The wall in front of her sometimes bulged in the middle, and the floor seemed to expand and contract like the skin of some monstrous being taking deep breaths. She focused on her captor and tried to find something, anything that might tell her who he was. When he checked the window, she saw a jagged scar down the center of his palm, the healed remnant of a sharp blade he had stopped with his hand. She had seen wounds like that before, and she could think of only one man who might have inflicted it.

"You're Cabal."

The man looked at her and turned away.

She wondered why John had kept the man alive. The fact that he was killing members of the Cabal under her tacit allowance haunted her dreams, but if he had shown compassion to one of them there was a chance... She pushed the thought away. No time for that. She swallowed, suddenly aware of how dry her mouth was.

"I suppose this is some sort of revenge scheme."

"This is an eye for an eye," the man said without turning around. "Your man struck at us, and we will teach him the consequences."

Helen said, "The Cabal is destroyed. Petty vengeance will gain nothing..."

"The Cabalis Nocturnum existed for centuries before you were born, and with a show of our strength and dedication, it will continue for centuries after you are gone. We will cut your throat in front of the dog you sent to destroy us and, in doing so, affirm to the world that we are still strong."

Helen said, "I assure you, John can be a very difficult person to find."

"Once he hears we have you, he will find us." The man walked up to her and bent down to look into her eyes. "He'll come. And he will watch you die, Dr. Magnus. The Cabal will overcome."

"We'll see," Helen said.

"You're nothing. An administrator, a bureaucrat. Stick you in danger, and look at what happens. Pathetic, really."

The man straightened and walked back to the stairs. Helen watched him go and remembered where she had seen him before.

_McConnell stood on the dock, rubbing his hands against the cold as Helen approaches. He smiles to her and waves, making his way to meet her. "Glad you could make it, Dr. Magnus. I've never seen nothing like this."_

"Of course. Lead the way." She follows him below decks to the cargo hold. A man with short black hair is standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching Helen as she descends. She catches a look in his eye, a poorly hidden derision, and is grateful for the gun pressing against the small of her back.

McConnell says, "Dr. Magnus, this is Reed Sutton. He's the one who first sent up the red flag."

"Mr. Sutton," Helen says. He makes no acknowledgement, and waits for Helen and McConnell to pass before he falls into step behind her. Helen is uncomfortable turning her back on the man, but she doesn't say anything. She just remains aware of his footsteps, of the sound of his movement, in case he tries to make a move.

McConnell stops next to a crate and thumps it with his knuckle. "Here it is. Parcel Number 440532-B." He picks up a crowbar and wedges it under the lid.

As soon as the lid is off the package, Helen knows she has made a grave error. The creatures rising from within seem harmless enough, but she knows better. The wings are shaped like those of a butterfly, luminescent and blue with dark areas like sunspots.

"Nightshade," she says, backing up a step. She runs into Sutton, who grabs her arms and keeps her from running.

"Relax, Dr. Magnus. This will all--"

Helen rocks her head back into his face and he cries out in pain and releases her. Helen spins on one foot and brings the other up. She kicks him in the stomach and Sutton falls back against a crate. Helen risks a look at McConnell; the Nightshade have swarmed him, covering his eyes and nostrils with its wings. She feels badly, but if he knowingly led her into this trap, then he deserves what he gets. She draws her gun - though she knows it will be useless against the creatures, and makes a break for the exit.

One Nightshade lands on her back and she cries out, reaching back to pull it off. The proboscis digs into the back of her neck and she feels the numbing agent being pumped into her bloodstream. She grabs one of the creature's wings and tears it, hearing its shriek in her mind. She drops the creature to the ground and makes another run for the stairs. Her steps falter, her mind swims, and the world shifts. She tries to keep up with the sudden tilt, but all she can do is fall to the ground a few short steps from freedom.

Nightshade. A red list abnormal hunted for the numbing agent it secretes into its victims. The sac is removed and the venom distilled to create an unnatural, extremely addictive high. Helen understood the throbbing in her skull now, the reason for the warping and wending of the world around her.

"It's all right."

The soft voice frightened her at first, considering how close it was. But the voice was familiar. Soothing, and very welcome. She didn't risk looking around for fear she would find the room to be empty and the voice only in her head. Instead, she closed her eyes and said, "Ashley? Where are you?"

"I'm right here, Mom. Don't worry. I'll get you out of this."

Helen opened her eyes and, to her surprise, saw Ashley was standing near the door. She had crouched to make sure Sutton wasn't coming, her gun held with both hands between her knees as she gauged her chances. Finally, she rose into a crouch and moved across the floor to where Helen was tied. She smiled. "Sorry I'm late."

Helen tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't help herself. The tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded at the ropes holding her arms and ankles. "Get me out of here and we'll call it even."

"Fair enough," Ashley said. She examined the set-up and reached for the ropes.

"Careful. There are wires wrapped around the ropes. They cut like knives."

Ashley exhaled. "Thanks for the warning." She took a knife from her boot and tried to cut the ropes. "Damn. I'm not going to get through the ropes with this. I need to see if I have something--

"No," Helen said. "Just stay here. Keep me company for awhile."

Ashley looked toward the stairs. "He could come back at any second, Mom. We should get you out of here."

Helen nodded. "I know. I know, but please... just sit with me." Her mind was clear enough for her to accept she was hallucinating, but she didn't want to destroy the illusion just yet. Ashley's eyes were as blue as she remembered, and the way her hair fell against her forehead... Helen felt as if she could reach out and touch Ashley's cheek, feel that familiar curve, and everything would be back to normal. The last year would disappear, would be revealed as the dream it was, and she would have her Ashley back.

But she also knew that if she tried to touch Ashley, the illusion would end. That if Ashley tried to break her free, she would fail. Ashley was just a figment of her fractured mind. She was grateful for the ropes that prevent her from giving in to the temptation to hold her daughter.

Ashley said, "Okay." She settled on the floor by Helen's feet and put her arm on the seat next to Helen's thigh. She rested her head against her shoulder and looked up at Helen.

_"Mommy, can you read this one again?"_

Helen runs her hand over Ashley's mop of blonde hair and smiles down at her. "Of course, darling." She looked up into the desktop monitor. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. We'll have to postpone this for another day." She signs off and takes the book from Ashley. Ashley crawls onto the chair and squeezes between Helen's side and the arm of the chair. "Who were those people?"

"No one important," Helen says. She kisses the top of Ashley's head and opens the book to the first page despite the fact she could recite it from memory.

"Ashley," Helen whispered. "I am so sorry. And I miss you, so very much."

Ashley reached up and took Helen's hand in her own. She squeezed and Helen could have sworn she felt the warmth of flesh and the weight of a physical touch. She focused on that hand, the grip of her lost daughter, the anchor she had been missing all these months.

There were footsteps on the stairs again, shaking Helen from her thoughts. Sutton appeared and walked to the back of the room without even a backward glance at the girl lounging next to Helen's chair. Ashley whispered, "The toxin got to him, too. He thinks he's imagining me, so he won't say anything. Doesn't want to appear weak."

Helen knew it was her own hallucination trying to explain itself, but the information does make sense. Sutton was on his back, defenseless, when the Nightshade were released from the crate. If she and McConnell were attacked, it only stood to reason that Sutton was as well. She could use that to her advantage. _But how?_

"I'm working on it," Ashley said, despite the fact Helen hadn't spoken aloud.

Sutton came back around in front of the chair and said, "We've been circling the harbor for about half an hour now. We let your hirsute friend get away so he could tell Johnny boy where he could find you. How long do you think it will be?"

"Am I boring you already?" Helen said. "I must admit, I'm much more entertaining when I'm not tied up."

Tesla started to encroach on her mind, but she refused to let him share a hallucination of Ashley with the likes of him. She pushed him away and focused on the real world.

Sutton smiled. "It's getting harder to control, isn't it? Harder to fight the toxin washing through your brain. The Nightshade like to keep their victims docile as they feed. It comes in waves. You think you've got it beaten, and you relax, and bam... it comes back again even stronger."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Sutton's smile wavered, but didn't fade. He withdrew a knife from the sheath on his belt and stepped forward to press it against her throat. "I have fantasized about running this blade across your throat with your dog watching... but it would be just as satisfying to drop your lifeless body at his feet as soon as he arrives."

Helen smiled. "You truly believe you would survive such an encounter?"

"I wouldn't have to," Sutton said. "The Cabal would." He withdrew the knife and turned to leave before he had any further violent impulses.

"Be aware of your surroundings, Mr. Sutton," Helen called after him. "John has a habit of arriving when you least expect him. One moment you're alone, and the next he is suddenly... there."

Sutton hesitated on the bottom step before he continued up.

"Nice one, Mom," Ashley said. "Subliminal. I wonder how many times he'll see Druitt in the next couple hours."

"Hopefully we won't be around to know," Helen said. She looked down at the ropes holding her to the chair. She pushed her hips against the backrest, pulling up with both arms. She found an angle that didn't dig wires into her skin and the wood protested with a quiet whine. She relaxed and planted both feet on the floor, working out the optimum angle. She gripped the seat with both hands, wrapped her feet around the legs of the chair, and pressed back. She pushed down with her hands, back with her body, and in with both legs.

"You got it, Mom," Ashley said. There was no surprise in her voice, no awe. Ashley was very rarely impressed with the things Helen managed to pull off. "Every little girl thinks her Mom is Superwoman. I actually get to be right." Helen and Ashley smiled; she had said those words when she was thirteen, helping Helen cook a meal in the middle of the night. Pancakes with strawberries; nightmare repellant, Helen called it. She looked at Ashley and tightened her jaw as she found the chair. Just wood and nails and glue. Ashley nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. Helen couldn't relax, couldn't give up all the progress she had already made. Her arms and legs ached, but she knew that if she pushed it just a little more, if she gave it just one more...

Something cracked, and the chair seemed a little less sturdy than a moment ago. Helen pushed herself up again and threw her weight against the chair. Something gave, and the chair collapsed underneath her. Ashley whooped and said, "Go, Mom!"

Helen had to break the arms of the chair away from the back, but it was easy enough in her new position. She broke the arm against the floor, slipped the ropes down, and freed her hands. She pushed herself to her feet and the room swam. Another burst of Nightshade venom washed over her and she widened her eyes, grabbing for something to hold onto. She felt an arm and latched on, only belatedly realized whose arm it was.

"Ashley..."

"Don't worry about it, Mom. This is powerful stuff, huh?" She grinned and said, "Go get that Sutton guy."

Helen bent down and picked up a sturdy chunk of the chair that would serve as a bat. She swung it, noticing the wooden stubs still attached to one end. "Trench club," she said. "Haven't used one of these in a while. Come on." She turned and headed for the stairs. She leaned against the door and looked up, trying to gauge how far she had to climb.

Impossible. No ship could be that high. She closed her eyes and felt sweat beading on her forehead. She couldn't do it.

She felt a hand against the back of her head, smoothing her hair.

_"If you ever need to look back," Helen says, holding Ashley's hand in her own, "don't. You never have to. I'll always be right there. Right here." She put her other hand on the back of Ashley's head. "Right here."_

"I feel you," Helen whispered. She grabbed the handrail and started up. The stairs seemed to move, rising and falling to trip her up. She kept her eyes on the doorway ahead, her palms sweating against the rail and the makeshift club. When she reached the door at the top, she opened it slowly and waited to see if Sutton or any of his men came running. She listened and, hearing no approach, stepped out into the corridor.

She swayed violently to the left, partially due to the sea and partially because of the venom filling her mind. She groped for Ashley's hand, finding a handful of a sweater. When she opened her eyes, she saw Sutton looming over her. He swung, and she brought the club up at the last moment. His fist cracked against the wood and he howled in pain, shoving Helen away. She swung the club, but she missed him. Sutton was shouting something, but Helen didn't bother trying to make out what it was.

"Where are your men?" she said. "Your little army, out to rebuild the Cabal. Are you all there is?"

"We have enough," Sutton said. "And one day our full numbers will swarm down on the Sanctuary network like--"

Helen swung the club and hit him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain and Helen swung up, catching his forehead on the stubby end of the bat. He fell backward against the console, blood seeping from the new wound on his forehead. "Bitch," he said.

"And I'm just an administrator," Helen said.

Sutton wiped at his blood and ran. Helen said, "Ashley!" before she had time to consider her words. She gave chase, slamming into the wall before she righted herself. The boat seemed to be spinning, rotating on its axis and making her nauseated. She locked onto Sutton's back as he ran, hurrying after him as best she could. When he reached the end of the corridor and stepped out onto the deck, Helen followed and said, "My people will be here shortly, Mr. Sutton!"

Sutton dropped to his knees, skidding on the wet deck. It was raining, blood mixing with the rainwater as it ran down his face. He grabbed a box that was lashed to the deck and tore it open. Nightshade rose out, their wings hampered by the rain.

Helen retreated. "You fool!"

"You won't survive tonight, Magnus," Sutton shouted. "Even if I have to die myself, I will--"

"They cannot fly in the rain!" Helen said from the open doorway. "They won't come after me!"

Three of the Nightshade latched onto Sutton's arm, their proboscides tearing through his sleeve to pierce his flesh. Sutton had time to scream before another latched onto his throat. Helen searched the corridor and found the first aid kit hanging from the wall. She tore it down and opened it, searching for something to use for combating the Nightshade.

"They can't fly in the rain," Ashley said over her shoulder. "The droplets weigh them down."

"I know that," Helen said, frustration in her voice. "I'm the one who taught..." She realized the logic behind the words and grabbed a spray bottle of antiseptic. She ran into the rain, shivering against the cold as she approached Sutton's limp, twitching body. A few of the Nightshade moved toward her, but Helen sprayed them and coated their wings. The creatures fell to the deck under her feet as she continued on.

She sprayed the bugs attached to Sutton's flesh, and tore away the ones hanging onto his sweater. When he was free, she dragged him back inside by his right arm. A few of the Nightshade tried to circle around behind her, but she crippled them with another spray from her bottle. She closed the door on them and dropped Sutton to the carpeted floor, breathing heavily and wiping the rain from her face.

"And that," she said, "is why the Cabal is doomed to fail."

Ashley smiled and gave Helen a wink. Helen smiled back and took the bandages from the First Aid kit. She tended to Sutton's wounds and then tied him up below decks. When she returned to the bridge, she was weary and sore. Her mind was hazy as she took a seat at the radio and began working the buttons. "This is Dr. Helen Magnus. Henry, you better be out there."

"Trailing along about five clicks south of your location, Doc. We were just about to close in."

Helen smiled. "Good man. Security Protocol Three; there are Nightshade loose on the deck."

"Ooh. Nasty. Taking it under advisement, Doc. We'll be there in two shakes."

"We'll be waiting?"

Henry was quiet for a moment and said, "We?"

Helen looked over her shoulder to see she was alone on the bridge. She felt a twinge of loss and then said, "Me and Mr. Sutton. I'll explain everything when I'm wearing dry clothes. Thank you, Henry."

"See you soon, Doc."

Helen turned off the radio and stood up. She watched through the fog until she saw the running lights of the Sanctuary's boat breaking through. She allowed herself a sigh of relief and went to observe their boarding procedures to make sure they didn't underestimate the Nightshade. Before she left the bridge, she rested her fingers on the handle and whispered, "Thank you, Ashley."

#

When the door to her office opened, Helen saw that the guard posted outside had disappeared. She smiled as Will approached the desk, closing her laptop and standing up. "Free at last, I see?"

"Blood tests all came back clear. The venom is still in your system, but they're at negligible levels. At least as far as I can tell from your records."

Helen leaned against the edge of the desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I couldn't very well examine myself for mind-altering poisons. Thank you, Will."

"Happy to help. Henry and Kate looked into Mr. Sutton using their... unique investigative skills."

"All perfectly legal, right?"

Will smiled. "He definitely was a former member of the Cabal, but he wasn't leading some huge army to regain their former glory. He was a low-ranking attaché who was trying to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the loss of their higher-ranking officials. He thought if he took you and Druitt out single-handedly, he would be assured their leadership when they regrouped."

"Always nice to be considered a pawn."

"Oh, please. Sutton thought he could end the game by taking you out. You're definitely the queen."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Flatterer."

"I know who signs the paychecks around here." He gestured at the desk. "I'll let you get back to work."

"Actually, now that I've been cut loose, I thought I would take a walk in the garden."

"Oh. Want some company?"

"No. I think I want to be alone for right now. Thank you, though."

He nodded and started to leave, but he stopped at the door. "One thing doesn't really make sense to me. We tested your blood at the boat, and you had a decent amount of the venom still in your bloodstream. Considering when you had been captured and the rate of decay, you probably got a pretty heavy dose of the stuff when you were first taken captive."

"Indeed. The amount needed to lose consciousness is staggering."

"Right. Well, according to your records, that amount of Nightshade venom would be crippling. You shouldn't have been able to walk, let alone rescue yourself and fight Sutton. How'd you manage?"

Helen looked at one of the framed photographs on her desk and smiled. "I had a lantern. Guiding me through the darkness."

Will considered the answer and then said, "All right. Well, enjoy your walk in the garden."

Helen smiled and nodded as Will turned and left. Helen picked up the photo and ran her fingers over Ashley's face.

_Gently, Ashley's fingers brushed the petal of the iris and she smiles. Helen is crouching next to her, one hand on Ashley's hip and her chin just above Ashley's shoulder. "I planted those myself, you know."_

"Before I was born?" Ashley asks.

"Yes. Many years before then. I needed something beautiful in my life. Of course, I don't need flowers now, do I?" She kissed Ashley on the cheek and Ashley giggled.

"Can we see more?" Ashley asks.

"Of course." Helen stands up and says, "The garden is quite large."

"What if we get lost?"

"Then we will get lost together," Helen says. She takes Ashley's tiny hand in her own and leads her into the garden.


End file.
